The Week in Geek, March 21-28: Tricksy hobbitses, machete maidens, and clockwork hoedowns

Now
that we've been Supermooned and vernally equinoxed, it seems that
Boston's geek events are in full bloom. Which means you folks are going
to have to make some tough choices this weekend -- do your loyalties lie
more with Tolkienian mythology? Or steampunkery? Or tapas of terror?
Burlesque? (This looks like a job for Blernsday.)

[reading] James Gleick discusses The Information: A History, a Theory, a FloodRemember
the violent urge to shake your monitor as your dial-up connection
stalled? James Gleick reminds us that the age of Google is a far cry
from the invention of the wheel. He'll discuss his latest, The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. $5. 6 pm.

WEDNESDAY 3.23

[reading] Physics of the FutureImagine
taking an elevator to space. Seriously, just imagine that. That
astronomical ride may be part of daily life by 2100 says Michio Kaku,
PhD. He talks about that and other futuristic awesomeness from his book Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 at the Museum of Science. Free. 7 pm.

THURSDAY 3.24

[talk] WikiLeaks, Open Leaks, and our Right to KnowYou
know it would be totally badass to hear from people who actually worked
at the most dangerous website on the planet - you know, the one that
isn't related to Wikipedia. Former Wikileaks staffers Daniel
Domscheit-Berg and Herbert Snorrason will talk about the importance and
risks in leaking state secrets.

[film] Boston Cinema CensusThe
Boston Cinema Census happens once a year, so you don't want to miss its
10th installment at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. There will be
films about musical breakfast and writers who may or may not get eaten
by unseen creatures outside a cabin. Awesome. $11 for general public,
$10 for students, seniors, and Brattle members. 7:30 pm.

[film] Boston Underground Film FestivalThe 13th incarnation of the BUFF starts with a bang -- a Hobo With a Shotgun,
to be exact -- and keeps going till next Thursday. That's 8 days of
brain-thwacking Lazer Ghosts, Don Hertzfeldt shorts, and Tapas of
Terror. (If you need a sherpa to guide you through the jam-packed
schedule, Peter Keough runs down a few faves here.) And don't forget the parties! "Machete Maidens" and "Kaiju Karaoke" oughta deliver. March 24-31.

FRIDAY 3.25

[midnight movie] BlaculaIt's
difficult to empathize with the interior decorators that let the
bloodsucking Blacula out of his coffin. What did they think would come
of opening a 100 year old casket from Transylvania? The 1972 film will
screen at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. 11:59 pm.

[symposium] Steampunk Industrial RevolutionWe
have the power to shape a greater future -- or we can wallow in the
gaslamp-lit romanticism of yesteryear. The Steampunk Industrial
Revolution aims to bring fans of the nostalgic world of science fiction
together (including the likes of maker Jake Von Slatt, author Leanna
Renee Hieber, and Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band). Forget the
future -- embrace the fantastic past that never was. March 25-27.

SATURDAY 3.26

[symposium] Third Conference on Middle EarthIt's
been 40 years since the Second Conference of Middle Earth. For Tolkien
fans not yet born in time for the first two and those who have been
patiently waiting for this day to come, this is some serious fandemonium
in Westford at the Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center. The
conference will feature panels and papers both scholarly ("Gondor Needs
No King: Images of Kingship in the Ramayana and JRR Tolkien's The Lord
of the Rings") and squeeful ("Blondes Have More Fun!: Images of Legolas
Greenleaf") as well as the requisite crazy hobbit partying. The festivities officially kick off at the Green Dragon tavern on March 25 -- an auspicious day for JRRT nerds, as it marks Tolkien Reading Day (chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Fall of Sauron, natch).

[performance] Bitches of Destiny BurlesqueYes,
more burlesque. But this is far weirder than just any old burlesque.
There's dancing kittens and headdresses. What a lovely Saturday night
you now have planned thanks to us. $15 advance, $20 day of show. 11:59 pm.

SUNDAY 3.27

[book launch] Road to Ruins by Ian GrahamIndiana Jones was cool and all, but Ian Graham, the "last explorer," actually existed. The Road to Ruins, Graham's memoir will launch at the Peabody Museum in Cambridge. Free. 4 pm.

MONDAY 3.28

[reading] Steven C. Schlozman, MD - The Zombie AutopsiesTo
properly prepare for the looming zombie apocalypse, it's both safe and
smart to learn everything there is to know about the enemy. Dr. Steven
Schlozman, Harvard Medical school psychologist discusses his hardcover
thriller The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse at the Brookline Booksmith. Free. 6 pm.